Blogs

Modern-day science is a collaborative enterprise. That's true of most other professions as well, so learning to work and solve problems with others is important. Yet, the grades students receive in their science classes

With the start of a new academic year comes the dreaded, seemingly never-ending stream of grading. Grading, and providing feedback to students in general, is the most challenging precisely in the places where it is most crucial - teaching complex skills and concepts, such as how to design an experiment, analyze data, and present results.

Students, and much of the general public, have trouble understanding what makes a good scientific experiment, and changing that is a major goal of introductory science classes. But to learn, students must practice designing their own experiments, and get feedback on their designs. There are too few opportunities

In 1977, an outbreak of seasonal flu struck China and Russia. A epidemic of seasonal flu was, of course, no surprise. But the viral strain responsible was something of a shock. The strain was H1N1 influenza A, which had not been seen in the wild for two decades.